Telephone-mouthpiece.



L. STEINBERGER.

TELEPHONE MOUTHPIECE. v APPLICATION nun FEB. 10.1912; neupwin MAY 5.191

1 ,249 ,819, Patented Dec. 11, 1 917.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

LOUIS STEINBERGER, or BROOKLYN, NEW Your:

'rELnrnoNE-MoUTHrIncn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented D 1 1 1917 Application fled lFebruary 10, 1912, Serial No. 676,880. Renewed May 5, 1917. SeriaLNo. 166,771.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Louis Srnrnnnnene, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Mouthpieces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to telephone mouthpieces and has for one of its objects to provide a mouth-piece construction which is particularly strong. r

Another obj ect of the invention is the provision of a mouthpiece including arrangement of parts whereby the sanitation of the article is improved.

Still another object, is to materially enhance the acoustical properties of the mouthpiece without detracting from the aforementioned qualities.

A further object is to provide, in connec tion with a mouthpiece possessing the inherent advantages above referred to, anattaching means, preferably takingthe form of a metallic ring which is molded in the mouthpiece. V

A further object is to provide a mouthpiece having an attaching means as above stated, with a portionof such conformity that the device is also adapted for connection with a twopart face plate having a smooth surface for engaging the mouthpiece.

Other objects and aims of the invention, together with the resulting advantages, will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the course of the following description of theelements, combinations, arrangements of parts, and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will. appear from the claims.

In the accompanying drawingawhich are to'be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have shown a merely illustrative form of embodiment of the invention; s

Figure 1 is a section on the line 1--1 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow, and showing my improved mouthpiece, which, in this instance is shown in proper relation to a face plate;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown inFig. 1; and I Fig. 3 is a detail showing in'perspective the threaded ring alone.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, the mouthpiece is indicated in a general way at 3, and comprises a solid massive member, having outwardly the appearance of the ordinary mouthpiece, with the flaring outer end and the reduced attaching portion, the length of the mouthpiece being preferably, though not necessary, greater than its smallest diameter. The outer end of the mouthpiece is preferably dished or concaved, as indicated at 4, with the adjacent edges 5 of thevmouthpiece rounded; and a plurality of passages 6 extend from said dished portion lengthwise through the mouthpiece, opening at the inner end thereof. I prefer that said passages 6 shall be of greater diameter at their outerends, gradually tapering as they approach the inner end of the mouthpiece. By this arrangement it follows that more material is removed from the-mouthpiece at its outer end. where the mouthpiece is thickest, on account of the outward flaring of the latter, producing the thickened portion 7 while less material is taken from the mouthpiece at the point where it is least thick, to wit, at the inner end thereof. At the same time the inward constriction of the apertures 6 improves the acoustic qualities of the article, as will be readily understood. The aggregate area of open space formed by the large ends of the passages, issufficiently large to compare favorably with the amount of space presented in the usual mouthpiece. At the same time the'space is so divided by stilfening walls that the structure is practically as proof against breakage as if it were solid. The passages are smooth, and tapering inwardly, the inner ends terminating in substantially the same disposure as is given the apertures in the grating usually employed.

From one view pointit may be stated that I have continued the usual grating apertures outwardly in substantially parallel planes to form smooth tubes independently flaring until, at their outer ends, the intervening walls are of so little thickness as not to interfere materially with the passage of the sound waves into the tubes or passages. The tubes form sort of funnels each leading to its respective grating aperture so that the buffing space presented by the relatively wide walls between the apertures of the usual grating are practically eliminated.

The independent passages, which have the desirable qualities just pointed out,present no cavity, for the collection of disease germs, which cavity is sufficiently large to receive the fingers, or be otherwise brought into contact with the person of the operator.

The mouthpiece, being massiye, may be molded of glass, porcelain or similar brittle, but highly sanitary material, and these materials are particularly desirable from the fact that they may be boiled or cleansed in acids, alkalis, 01' other strong disinfection solutions.

In my patent, issued April 11, 1911, No. 989,076, I have disclosed a form of mouthpiece having many of the valuable qualities of the presentstructiue, but it may be here noted that, in the structure of that patent, the reversed disposition of some of the sound passages operates to detract materially from the possible open'space at the front or receiving end of the mouthpiece beyond that attained in the present structure. Consid erable relatively flat bufling surface is presented between the tubes" so that it has been found that the full volume of sound does not pass through the mouthpiece. The re verse-1y disposed tubes are also more diflicult to maintain in a reasonably sanitary condition for the reason that it is almost absolutely necessary to remove the mouthpiece bodily from its attached relation with the transmitter casing in order to reach into those tubes .vhich flare inwardly, an operation which is seldom performed, and the non-performance of which is conducive to a highly unsanitary articlev All of these objections l have overcome in thestructure hereof'without detractin from any of the advantages of the patent referred to. The acoustical properties of the present structure are, in fact, found to be an im provement over those of said patent.

At .the inner end of the mouthpiece, surrounding the inner ends of the passages 43, is an attaching portion, which may take he form of a metallic ring 8 exteriorly threaded, and molded or otherwise secured in the material of the mouthpiece, said. ring pro jectingbeyond the inner end of the mouthpiece whereby it may be threaded into an or dinary face plate 9, a shoulder 11 being defined between the projecting part of the ring and the adjacent side of the mouthpiece, which shoulder contacts with t lie face plate 9 and 'makes the attachment of the mouthpiece to the latter firm. Preferably that part of the attaching ring that is within the material of the mouthpiece is tapered, enlarging toward the outer end of the ring, so that the attaching portion necessitates the least possible deficiency of mouthpiece material at the point where the mouthpiece is least thick. Thus, the portion of the material of the mouthpiece which enters the ring is thickest and strongest at itspoint of connection with the larger body of material. The

outer walls 'of the mouthpiece are flanged outwardly for the same purpose, so that it will be noted that the structure is fully reinforced in the vicinities where it is most subject to fractures such as might result from uneven expansion and contraction of the different materials used, or from other causes. The arrangement of the apertures 6, all with their smaller ends innermost, provides a sufliciently thick body of material about them for receiving and retaining the ring 8 as just stated without necessity for av reduction ofthe sizeofthe apertures or of the space betweenthe apertures, ;or for enlarging the externaldiameter of the block. The ring 8 may thus be made of a standard size and a maximum elliciency ofapertures maintained. The mouthpiece is provided with a plurality of usual slots12 which serves as vents. The threads'and slots extend over the full length of the metal ring. In addition to their main purpose, I use the threads and slots as anchorages for securing the ring to the eleetrose or other material of which the body portion is made.

I have shown the plurality of passages 6 extending centrally through the mouthpiece, in relative symmetrical arrangement, so that the vibrations communicated through them to the diaphragm will be uniform upon the various portions of the latter adjacent the inner end of the mouthpiece. I

In order that the mouthpiece may be adapted for connection toa two-part face plate, I may provide it with an annular groove 14, into which the face plate may be fitted, the face plate being made in halves and provided with edges for fitting into said groove.

I do not limit myself to the use of any particular material for the body portion of the mouthpiece above described. as I may use porcelain, glass, or the like material, or hard rubber, fiber, wood, or similar materials; but I prefer in many instances to employ the insulating material known in this art as ele'ctrose. Furthermore, I may use a considerable range of mat rials for the attaching portion ofthe device, and indeed this may be of like material. and integral. with the body portion of the mouthpiece.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and anany' apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a. limiting sense.

It'is also to-be understood that the language used in the following claims is. intended to cover all'of the generic and specific features of the invention herein; described and allstatements of the scope of the invention, which as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a mouthpiece comprising a substantially solid block of material having a reduced inner attaching portion, and a flaring outer end, and having a plurality of independently formed apertures extending therethrough with their axes arranged in substan tially parallel planes, and each of said parallelly arranged apertures being smaller at the inner end of the block and being of gradually increasing diameter toward the outer end of the block so as to leave a relatively thick wall of material surrounding the field occupied by the inner ends of the apertures While the walls between the outer ends of the apertures are all relatively thin so that the outer end openings of the apertures may consume decidedly the greater portion of the available space within the field which they collectively define for the purpose of minimizing the amount of buffing surface presented to sound waves entering the apertures, the combination therewith of a separately formed attaching ring for the mouthpiece externally threaded, and having an annular portion embedded within the relatively thick wall surrounding the reduced inner ends of the apertures, the embedded portion of said attaching ring being tapered toward its outer annular edge Within said wall, and the portion of the wall of material which surrounds the ring being thickest adjacent the outer end of the ring, all for the purpose set forth.

, 2. A mouth piece comprising a body part, and an attaching part, the body part being formed with a plurality of apertures there-. through, each of said apertures being tapered so that the outer ends thereof are relatively larger than the inner ends thereof, and the attaching part being separately formed and comprising a tubular member having one end embedded in the material of the body part surrounding the smaller ends of said apertures collectively, the embedded portion of the attaching part being of decreasing cross section toward its embedded end and having its inner annular surface inclined to approximate the inclination ofthe walls of the apertures.

3. A mouth piece comprising a body part having an annular inner end portion, and a separately form ed sleeve-like attaching membedded portion of said sleeve-like attaching member being beveled off for the purpose set forth,

4. A mouth piece comprising a body part having an annular inner end portion, and a separately formed sleeve-like attaching member at the inner end of the body portion, said separately formed sleeve-like attaching member having a portion thereof embedded within the material of the annular end of the body portion, said embedded portion being of a gradually reducing thickness toward its embedded end.

5. A month piece comprising a body part having an annular inner end portion, and a separately formed metallic sleeve-like attaching member at theinner end of the body portion, said separately formed sleeve-like attaching member having a portion thereof embedded within the-material of the annular inner end of the body portion, a part of the embedded portion of said sleeve-like attaching member being beveled off for the purpose set forth and the beveled part being threaded.

6. A mouth piece comprising a body part having an annular inner end portion, and a separately formed sleeve-like attaching member at the inner end of the body portion, said separately formed sleeve-like attaching member having a portion thereof embedded within the material of the annular inner end of the body portion, said embedded portion being threaded upon one of its surfaces and being beveled off upon the other of its surfaces for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS STEINBERGER.

Witnesses:

NATHALiE THOMPSON, HELEN R. HENRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

